Abstract: An active rinse shield designed to protect electrofill chemical baths from excessive dilution during rinse sprays on the semiconductor wafer. The shield uses overlapping blades to cover the bath, making a physical barrier between the bath chemistry and the wafer rinse water. The blades are interconnecting ribs that actuate around a common pivot axis. A linear mechanical actuator controls the blade movement, moving the top-most blade, which in turn, moves an adjacent lower blade. Each upper blade is interconnected to an adjacent lower blade by upper and lower ledges, a pivot boss and interlocking cut, and a curved ledge on each blade's body surface. The interconnecting features allow the blades to move one another out for extension or in for retraction. The interlocking blades are inclined above one another, forming grooves to redirect the rinse water away from the chemical bath.

Abstract: Wafer cleaning apparatus include a cleaning tub configured to receive a wafer to be cleaned. A wafer cleaning unit coupled to the cleaning tub is configured to provide wafer cleaning solution to the wafer. A probe is positioned in the cleaning tub proximate the wafer. The probe is configured to provide megasonic vibrational energy to a surface of the wafer and/or the wafer cleaning solution to separate contaminants from the surface of the wafer. A probe cleaning unit is configured to provide a probe cleaning solution to the probe to clean the probe. Methods of using the wafer cleaning apparatus are also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for substantially cleaning fill from a borehole is described variously including running a coiled tubing assembly into the wellbore, creating a fluid vortex by circulating cleaning fluid through the coiled tubing, and pulling the coiled tubing and coiled tubing assembly out of the hole at a speed sufficient to substantially clean the particulate solids from the wellbore. An apparatus for substantially cleaning fill from a hole, including vertical, horizontal, or deviated wells also is provided.

Abstract: A drum type washing machine in which wash water fed to a tub via a water supply pipe is directly supplied into a drum. The washing machine includes a housing, a tub arranged in the housing to contain wash water therein, a drum rotatably mounted in the tub, a water supply pipe adapted to supply wash water into the tub, and a water supply guide unit provided at the tub, to guide the wash water from the water supply pipe to be directly supplied into the drum. Since the wash water is directly supplied into the drum, laundry contained in the drum is wetted by the wash water, immediately after the supply of the wash water. Thus, it is possible to reduce the wash time for the laundry.